Victoria M
5000 Club Member
How exciting!
Finally! Natalie's 180 Gallon Shallow Reef
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I never got any measurable ammonia and didn't see any die off at all. So impressed! Part 2 of will arrive tomorrow with some more rock plus all the creatures. Hooray!
The fish from QT and my clown from my nano will move in a few days after that if all continues to go well.
Hitchhikers so far included about a dozen various crabs (most captured and sent to the refugium), a couple orange snails that I put in the fuge because I don't know what they are, 2 tiny pistol shrimp who I allowed to stay, and a couple other small shrimp, plus various macro and sponges and a couple little coral colonies.
I also played with the aquascape some more. Going for nice visual balance, interesting shape, plenty of space for corals, good swimming space, and plenty of territories/caves.
Some photos to enjoy. It's a bit cloudy again because I keep playing with the rocks.
The fish from QT and my clown from my nano will move in a few days after that if all continues to go well.
Hitchhikers so far included about a dozen various crabs (most captured and sent to the refugium), a couple orange snails that I put in the fuge because I don't know what they are, 2 tiny pistol shrimp who I allowed to stay, and a couple other small shrimp, plus various macro and sponges and a couple little coral colonies.
I also played with the aquascape some more. Going for nice visual balance, interesting shape, plenty of space for corals, good swimming space, and plenty of territories/caves.
Some photos to enjoy. It's a bit cloudy again because I keep playing with the rocks.
watdachuck
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Following...love the look!
Welcome to acclimation central! It’s just shy of 11pm here, and I have almost 2 hours to go on the drip acclimation for the cucumbers, snails, stars, and surprise bonus nem.
I am amazed with the huge and gorgeous pieces Richard @liverock sent with part 2, plus some special surprises. Three of them are the biggest coolest pieces of LR I’ve ever seen in person.
Debating whether to change the scape tonight or tomorrow when I’m feeling fresher. But, I don’t have much else to do for the next couple hours and it’ll keep me awake to monitor the acclimation.
Fav hitchhiker so far is a blenny!
lots more to come. Thank you again Richard! You really outdid yourself.
Now, I’m going to have some tea, watch critters, and create my vision. I’m one happy girl.
I am amazed with the huge and gorgeous pieces Richard @liverock sent with part 2, plus some special surprises. Three of them are the biggest coolest pieces of LR I’ve ever seen in person.
Debating whether to change the scape tonight or tomorrow when I’m feeling fresher. But, I don’t have much else to do for the next couple hours and it’ll keep me awake to monitor the acclimation.
Fav hitchhiker so far is a blenny!
lots more to come. Thank you again Richard! You really outdid yourself.
Now, I’m going to have some tea, watch critters, and create my vision. I’m one happy girl.
Photo time! The final aquascape (probably). I don't want to make very many rock moves at this point because I don't want to smush a cucumber or blenny. Now it's time to learn how to take photos of all these little guys! My favorite thing in here so far is the decorator crab. I know they're a little destructive but he's so worth it.
Victoria M
5000 Club Member
Sooooo incredible!
Not so fun update time.
Found the next batch of unwelcome hitchhikers.
A couple days ago, since the cycle in this tank never really happened — no ammonia ever showed up and everything was looking great — I added the fish. 3 small dartfish from QT and my Ocellaris from my nano.
Yesterday, I was checking on the fish and saw cirolanid isopods on one of the darts. Oh no!!! I’ve been trying to catch her both with net and bottle trap, but was unsuccessful and went to bed.
However, now I know they are there and my other fish are at risk. So at 2am I go down there and shine my phone light right at the clown and stun and net him. The bad news: he had 4 on him! I pulled them off with tweezers and he’s in a Ruby Reef Rally bath for an hour.
I’ve found this little bath setup to be very convenient to just keep together. 1 gallon critter keeper, thermometer, air stone, tiny heater.
After his bath, the clown will go to the sump for a day or two while I get another 20 gallon set up. I have the tank and everything in the house and enough water warm and mixed already. I keep a QT set up, but it has a pair of CB Kaudern’s cardinals and a pair of CB Pygmy filefish in it right now. More on them later.
Tomorrow I’ll grab another critter keeper and turn it into a better fish trap to try to nab those dartfish. I really worry for them. They are hard to catch and super tiny — not much blood to spare
Then, I’ll add a couple yellow or orange balloon mollies to the tank and everyone else will have to live in QT until I stop finding and removing nasty parasites from the mollies. Sorry mollies, but if you come through you get a life of luxury out of the deal.
Found the next batch of unwelcome hitchhikers.
A couple days ago, since the cycle in this tank never really happened — no ammonia ever showed up and everything was looking great — I added the fish. 3 small dartfish from QT and my Ocellaris from my nano.
Yesterday, I was checking on the fish and saw cirolanid isopods on one of the darts. Oh no!!! I’ve been trying to catch her both with net and bottle trap, but was unsuccessful and went to bed.
However, now I know they are there and my other fish are at risk. So at 2am I go down there and shine my phone light right at the clown and stun and net him. The bad news: he had 4 on him! I pulled them off with tweezers and he’s in a Ruby Reef Rally bath for an hour.
I’ve found this little bath setup to be very convenient to just keep together. 1 gallon critter keeper, thermometer, air stone, tiny heater.
After his bath, the clown will go to the sump for a day or two while I get another 20 gallon set up. I have the tank and everything in the house and enough water warm and mixed already. I keep a QT set up, but it has a pair of CB Kaudern’s cardinals and a pair of CB Pygmy filefish in it right now. More on them later.
Tomorrow I’ll grab another critter keeper and turn it into a better fish trap to try to nab those dartfish. I really worry for them. They are hard to catch and super tiny — not much blood to spare
Then, I’ll add a couple yellow or orange balloon mollies to the tank and everyone else will have to live in QT until I stop finding and removing nasty parasites from the mollies. Sorry mollies, but if you come through you get a life of luxury out of the deal.
Dj City
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Oh wow!
Everything looks great except the unwelcome pests.
The rock looks really good and "alive" and the scape is wonderful.
Finding the isopods and dealing with them is going to be challenging but you are doing better than I would have.
How did you get them off the clown with tweezers?
Everything looks great except the unwelcome pests.
The rock looks really good and "alive" and the scape is wonderful.
Finding the isopods and dealing with them is going to be challenging but you are doing better than I would have.
How did you get them off the clown with tweezers?
Victoria M
5000 Club Member
This is incredible. I love your tenacity. No freak out! Just a woman with a plan. So orange mollys can be used too? Very cool plan. Maybe a video for all of us sheltering in place folks?
Thanks
But.... I had a total freak out and @BigG helped me with the plan.
Humblefish posted to someone else to keep an easy to catch yellow fish (easy to see isopods on them) in the tank to attract the remaining isopods. I figure mollies will be great because I can safely add them without worrying they’ll carry some disease from FW to SW. I just think orange will be easier to find than yellow and still easy to see. We will see.
I have a plan in my head for how to make it as easy as possible. I’ll totally do a video! Thanks for the idea.
